Cane-loader.



N .8'84938.- PATENTED APR.14 190's. W.W.LEMM0N.

CANE ILOA'DER. v APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 26, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' 1n: NORRIS PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, n. c.

W. W. LBMMON.

CANE LOADBR. I APPLICATION FILED BBPI. 2a. 1901.

PATENTED APR. 14, 1908.

IIHIIIIIIHIIIIH WHIII WILLIAM WALTER LEMMON, OF JUNIOR, LOUISIANA.

GANE-LOADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 14, 1908.

Application filed September 26, 1907. Serial No. 394,751.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM WALTER LEMMON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Junior, in the parish of Plaquemines and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Cane-Loaders; and I do here y declare the h following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in hoisting apparatus, and while it may be employed in various connections, is primarily designed for use in cane fields to load the cut cane onto cane carts.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a self-propelled vehicle, the power for driving which is also employed for operating the loader proper, which consists of means and mechanism for swinging bundles of the loose cane alternately or simultaneously from the rows of cut cane on both sides of the ,Vehicle to a cane cart and automatically returning the parts to their initial position upon the release of the mechanism after the bundles of cane have been deposited into the cart.

Other objects reside in the details of construction hereinafter described and pointed out more particularly in the claims, and while I do not restrict myself to the details illustrated and described, still for the purposes of disclosure reference is had to the accompanying drawings showing a practical embodiment of the invention, in which like letters designate the same parts in the several views and in which I Figure 1 is a side elevation of the loading apparatus in operation. Fig. 2 is a plan view of same with the bundles of cane omitted, and Fig. 3 is a front elevation.

1 is a suitably mounted platform of a vehicle, 2 designating the front axle, 3 the rear axle, 4 the forward wheels, 5 the traction wheels, and 6 the fifth wheel.

On the forward end of the plat orm is mounted suitable uprights 7 which are preferably disposed to diverge upwardly, as shown, so that the upper ends extend slightly beyond the sides of the vehicle for a pur ose which will hereinafter ap ear, the top on s of said uprights being suita ly braced by cross bars 8. Suitable staying means, such as rods 9 which may be provided with turn buckles,

extend from the upper ends of the standards 7, to the rear of the vehicle to take up the forward strain on the upright frame when the load is swung forward by the booms hereinafter referred to.

10 designates a pair of swinging booms pivotally mounted at 1 1 on an axis substantially in plane with the uprights 7 when said uprights incline outwardly, or if vertical uprights are employed the pivotal axis of said booms may lie at a plane angular to said uprights, so that the tendency of the booms will be to swing laterally and outwardly beyond the sides of the vehicle, the object being to automatically return the booms into operative position with relation to the rows of cut cane, after the load has been deposited in the cane cart.

12 are the usual boom stays extending from the upper end of the upright 7 to the forward end of the booms 10. The upright frame is also preferably provided with an intermediate cross rod 8, to the under side of which is secured a pair of sheaves 13 which may be pivotally mounted, ifv sodesired, and 14 are similar pulleys or sheaves, one each mounted on the end of the booms 10.

15 designates one drum with partition or a pair of drums journaled on a suitably mounted support on said platforml, one end of the shaft of said drums being provided with a sprocket wheel 16 and suitable braking mechanism being also provided, as indicated at 17, the object of the braking mechanism being to control the rotation of the drums when thrown out of gear with the engine in allowing the load to descend into the cane carts.

From the drums 15 extend the load cables 18, the cable from each drum passing respectively over one of the sheaves 13 and 14 and each provided at its free end with a hook or other means connected with a cane sling, or if desirable a rapple or similar means.

19 is a suitabdy journaled counter-shaft provided with a sprocket wheel 20 connected y, means of the sprocket chain 21 with the sprocket wheel 16, and also provided with a wheel 22 connected. as at 23 with a driving wheel 24 of a suitable engine 25. The counter-shaft 19 extends beyond the pulley 20, which latter pulley may be loosely mounted thereon by means of a sleeve having a member 20 at the end thereof, forming one memthe cane rows, nor

ber of a twopart clutch, and opposed to this clutch member is a similar clutch member 26 carried by a suitably j ournaled sprocket wheel 28 connected by means of the sprocket chain 29 with a sprocket wheel 30 on the rear axle 3.

Interposed between the two clutch members 20 and 26 is a clutch member 27 which is so keyed to the shaft 19 as to be capable of movement longitudinally thereof, but locked against independent rotation. This intermediate member is provided with a suitable pivoted operating lever 27*.

While I have referred to the gearing between the drums and the engine and the traction wheel and the engine as embracin sprocket wheels and sprocket chains, it will be obvious that any other mechanical equivalents might be employed the drawings simply showing a convenient method of connecting up the parts.

31 designates a steering wheel on the rod 32, the lower end of which carries the oppositely wound cable 33, the ends of which are connected with the forward axle 2.

In operation it will be seen that the booms 10 being in position over the cane rows and a bundle of cane connected to the end of each of the cables 18 and the engine being in motion, upon throwing member 27 into clutch with the member 20" the cables 18 are wound up on the drum and the boom or booms swung inwardly as the load is' elevated, until they reach a position substantially central of the forward end of the vehicle, whereupon the members 27 and 20 are thrown out of clutch, the braking lever 17 controlling the descent of theload into the cane cart. Upon the release of the load from the end of the cables 18, it will be obvious that the booms will swing outwardly to their initial position over the cane rows.

The object of the connection of the sprocket wheel 28 with the sprocket wheel 30 is to drive the traction wheels when the clutch member 27 is thrown to the right in clutch with the member 26 and thereby connecting said sprocket wheels with the shaft 19 to pro el the vehicle so that the same may be mover along the fields without the aid of mules, as the cane is being collected.

The booms may be made to swing alternately as occasions may require, but it will also be noted that when the booms are swung simultaneously the load on the end of each boom balances the vehicle and will tend to prevent the same from toppling over. It will also be obvious that while I have simply shown cane slings, grapples may be employed, although the slings allow of shorter and lower booms being used, as in such cases the ends of the boom need not necessarily extend over as high as when grapples are used. It will also be obvious that when the apparatus is not needed as a loader, the

upright frame may be taken down and the vehicle used as a self-propelled traction device for hauling loads and for other uses.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination with a vehicle, of laterally swinging booms supported thereon and adapted to normally extend laterally on opposite sides of the vehicle, means for swinging said booms inwardly towards each other for elevating the load and means for automatically returning said booms to their normal position upon the release of the load, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a vehicle, of a pair of laterally swinging booms supported thereon and adapted to normally extend on opposite sides of the vehicle, means for simultaneously swinging said booms inwardly for elevating the load, and. means for auto matically returning said booms to their normal position upon the release of the load, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a self-propelled vehicle, of a pair of laterally swinging booms supported thereon and adapted to normally extend laterally on opposite sides of the vehicle, means for simultaneously swinging said booms inwardly towards each other and elevating bundles of cut cane, and means for automatically returning said booms to their normal position upon the release of the load, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a vehicle, of a pair ofpivoted booms mounted on outwardly diver ing upright axes and adapted to swing laterally beyond each side of said vehicle, elevating cables for the load carried by said booms, means for operating said cables and swinging said booms inwardly toward the center, and means for lowering the load when so swung, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a vehicle, of a pair of pivoted booms mounted on outwardly diverging upright axes and adapted to swing laterally beyond each side of said elevating cables for the load carried by said booms, means for operating said cables and simultaneously swinging said booms inwardly towards each other, and means for lowering the load when so swung, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a vehicle, of a laterally inclining upright support, a boom pivotally carried {by said support on an axis pin disposed in the inclining plane of said support, whereby said boom normally tends to swing outwardly to one side of the vehicle, and elevating means associated with said boom, substantially as described.

7. The combin ation with a vehicle, of a su pport comprising upwardly diverging standards, a pair of booms pivotally carried by said support on axis pins disposed in the plane of said standards, whereby said booms vehicle,

normally tend to swing outwardly towards each side of the vehicle, and elevatin means 006 erating with said booms, for e evating an discharging the loads, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a vehicle, of a frame comprising upwardly diverging standards, a pair of booms pivotally carried by said standards on axis pins disposed in the plane of said standards, whereby said booms normally tend to swing outwardly on each side of the'vehicle, elevating means carried by said booms, means for haulin in said elevating means for elevating the oad and simultaneously swinging said booms inwardly towards each other, and means for lowering the load when the booms are so swung, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a vehicle provided with a suitable engine, of a air of winding drums, means connecting sai winding drums with said engine, means connecting the traction wheels of said vehicle with said engine, clutch mechanism interposed between said traction wheels and said engine and between said engine and said drums, an upright frame, a pair of booms carried by said frame and normally tending to swing outwardly on each side of said vehicle, sheaves mounted on said frame, sheaves mounted on the ends of said boom, elevating cables connected to said drums and reeving over said respective sets of sheaves and adapted to be connected at their free ends with the loads to be elevated, braking means for said drums, and steering mechanism for said vehicle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM WALTER LEMMONv Witnesses:

RAoUL O. FAvELT, ANT. SYLUE, Jr. 

